Packages or containers that provide photographic web to photofinishing equipment must be periodically loaded with photographic web either by the photofinisher or by the photographic web manufacturer. Conventional apparatus and methods for loading rolls of web, such as photographic paper, into chambers within packages or containers operate in tandem with the manufacturer's web slitter operation. In this operation, once the web is slit it exits the slitter operation having a horizontal orientation. The slit web, while horizontal, is transferred to a "gin pole" or shaft and the "gin pole" is lowered to a height that corresponds to the height of the chamber opening. The slit webs are then pushed from the "gin pole" into the chamber. Thus, existing apparatus is designed to load photographic paper into chambers from the manufacturer's slitter operation and at a photofinisher's location.
One shortcoming of the present apparatus for loading packaging chambers, such as the packaging described in U.S. application Ser. No. 952,897, filed Nov. 20, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,591, and based on priority French application No. 9007375 filed Jun. 8, 1990, is that the package could not be conveniently loaded by the photofinishers. Instead, because existing apparatus for loading photographic paper is rather cumbersome, the photofinisher has to return the package chamber, once the paper supply is exhausted, to the photographic paper manufacturer for reloading. This practice, of course, results in undesirable photofinishing equipment and processing downtime, excessive shipping cost accruing to both the manufacturer and the photofinisher, and the additional cost to the photofinisher for the convenience of preloaded packages.
One prior art apparatus for loading a package container known to the inventors is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 129,889, filed 30 Sep. 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,872. Generally the apparatus includes a roll support shaft that is preloaded with rolls of web via a hoist. The entire affair is then inserted into the package chamber which interfaces with photofinishing equipment. While this apparatus works well for the top loaded package container described in the application, it would not be suited for a variety of package chamber configurations as the present invention. Moreover, the apparatus described in the application requires considerably more labor support to operate and, it is far more expensive to manufacture.
Therefore, a need persists for an apparatus and method for loading rolls of photographic paper into a packaging chamber that is convenient to use, of simple construction, economical and easy to manufacture, compact, and easy to operate by the photofinisher.